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Chick-fil-A Bowl: LSU gameday notebook

LSU tailback Alfred Blue set the tone for the season with back-to-back games of 100 rushing yards or more to open the season. Blue missed the final nine games with a knee injury.
(Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | Times-Picayune)

ATLANTA -- Not surprisingly, the number 100 has a fairly important connotation for LSU
coach Les Miles. Especially considering the method of offense he has faithfully
subscribed to throughout his career.

So
the Tigers' unique and widespread running prowess this season isn't a big
surprise and should be a major component of the offense in Monday's Chick-fil-A Bowl showdown vs. Clemson (6:30 p.m. CT/ESPN).

On
the way to a (10-2) record this season, LSU running backs have notched seven
games with 100 or more rushing yards -- the most since 2003 when Tigers backs recorded
eight games with 100 yards or more.

The
unique part? It's been three different backs who have climbed to that plateau, each
doing so at least twice.

LSU freshman Jeremy Hill has been a bright spot this season for the Tigers with three games of 100 yards or more and a team-high 631 rushing yards and 10 TDs on the ground.Chris Granger, NOLA.com | Times-Picayune

Freshman
Jeremy Hill leads the way with three games of 100 or more -- 124 against South
Carolina, 127 vs. Texas A&M and 107 against Alabama's top-ranked defense.
Hill is the first LSU freshman to run for 100-plus against the Crimson Tide.

Kenny
Hilliard and Alfred Blue both topped the century mark in the season opener
against North Texas and then alternated the next few weeks, with Blue going
over 100 against Washington and Hilliard doing so vs. Idaho the following week.

Spencer
Ware didn't crack 100 yards this season, but had two games to his credit in
2011 on the heels of a 102-yard night against Texas A&M in the 2011 Cotton
Bowl. His season-high in 2012 was 90 yards against Auburn, a game when he also
grabbed a pair of passes for 44 yards.

Since
Miles got to LSU in 2005, the Tigers are 31-1 when a back tops 100 yards.

Up-Hill running

Buoyed
by his three 100-yard games, Hill leads the No. 9-ranked Tigers (10-2) with 631 rushing yards and
10 TDs on the ground this season heading into Monday's battle with 14th-ranked Clemson (10-2).

With
a strong outing against Clemson, Hill has a chance to vault into fourth place
on LSU's all-time rushing chart for freshmen. He needs 80 yards -- 18.3 less
than he's averaged since taking over the starting job in the seventh game -- to
pass Garry James, who currently sits in fourth with 710 yards in 1982.

Dome dominance

By
now, LSU's repeated strong performances in the Georgia Dome are a well-known
fact. The Tigers are 9-1 there, with the lone loss coming to Georgia in the
2005 SEC Championship Game.

Dig
a little deeper, though, and it's clear that LSU has enjoyed playing indoors at
various locations through the years.

LSU
is 24-7 in dome stadiums, 9-2 under Miles. Most of the wins (13) have come at
the Superdome, with a pair at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas (2011 Cotton Bowl, 2011 season opener vs. Oregon).

All
12 foes LSU faces this season rushed for fewer yards than their season average
coming into the game and six failed to crack 100 yards as a team. The
two best performances of the season came in consecutive weeks in October against South Carolina and
Texas A&M.

The
Gamecocks mustered only 34 rushing yards, their fewest in a game since Sept.
13, 2008 when they scratched out only 18 yards against Georgia. It was also the
lowest rushing total by an LSU opponent since Alabama had only 20 in 2007.

The
Aggies managed a little more damage with 134 yards on the ground. But dynamic quarterback Johnny Manziel was limited to a season-low 27 rushing yards on 17
attempts on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy.

Unkind to the ACC

Through
the years, LSU is 33-28 against the ACC, and Miles has won all four
games he has coached against teams from the league -- Miami, Virginia Tech, Georgia
Tech and North Carolina (three in the Georgia Dome, two in the
Chick-fil-A Bowl).

The
Hokies were the last ACC team to beat LSU, 26-8 in 2002 in Blacksburg, Va.

SEC/ACC rankings

LSU
and Clemson in their respective league statistics:

Scoring offense: LSU 7th (30.2), Clemson 1st
(46.5 ppg)

Rushing offense: LSU 5th (179.9 ypg), Clemson 4th
(197.8 ypg)

Passing offense: LSU 11th (207.2 ypg), Clemson
1st (344.8 ypg)

Total offense: LSU 9th (387.2 ypg), Clemson 1st
(542.5 ypg)

Scoring defense: LSU 3rd (16.9 ppg), 3rd (27.4 ppg)

Rushing defense: LSU 3rd (101.8 ypg), 6th
(156.9 ypg)

Passing defense: LSU 6th (194.3 ypg), 5th
(266.2 ypg)

Total defense: LSU 3rd (296.2 ypg), 7th
(423.1 ypg)

Number crunchin'

LSU
allowed more than 22 points only once all season. Clemson scored 37 points or
more in 10 games. However, CU averaged only 25.5 points in two games against
SEC defenses.

Senior
kicker Drew Alleman needs one field goal to equal Andre LaFleur for fifth place
on LSU's all-time chart with 37 made kicks. Alleman is also four point-after
kicks shy of tying David Browndyke for the most consecutive makes in school
history.

Defensive
end Sam Montgomery is currently tied for 9th in program history with
31½ tackles for loss and tied for 8th with 18 sacks.

LSU receiver Odell Beckham has accounted for 12 plays of 20 yards or more this season.Brett Duke, NOLA.com | Times-Picayune

Odell
Beckham's two punt-return touchdowns give LSU at least two special teams scores
in seven of the eight seasons under Miles. The Tigers have at least one punt or
kickoff return for a TD in the last 13 seasons.

Of
LSU's 52 offensive plays for 20 yards or more, quarterback Zach Mettenberger
has accounted for 39 via the pass and Odell Beckham is No. 2 with 12 receptions
of 20-plus, the longest for 56 yards. The Tigers' three longest plays of the
season are all rushes - Russell Shepard's 78-yard burst against Towson and
Kenny Hilliard rumbles of 71 yards and 60 yards.

The
Tigers generated 363 points scored this season, with 109 (30%) coming as a
result of turnovers.

LSU
topped 219 yards rushing in five games this season, but none in the last four
games when the Tigers averaged only 123 yards a game on the ground. Conversely,
after topping 220 passing yards only twice in the first eight games, LSU
averaged 267.5 over the final four.

Quote of note

"This
is the most physical team that we have seen in quite a while. That's how they play the game and it's a
really tough challenge to prepare for."

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney

Moving the chains

LSU
is 3-2 against ranked opponents this season, beating South Carolina, Texas
A&M and Mississippi State with losses to Florida and Alabama. In Miles'
eight seasons, the Tigers are 34-16 against Top-25 foes (23-15 in the SEC).

This
is LSU's 13th consecutive bowl appearance and in each of those, the
Tigers have played a ranked team. The last time LSU played a bowl game against
a non-ranked foe was the 1997 Independence Bowl when it routed Notre Dame 27-9.

Miles
is 5-2 in bowl games with LSU, two behind Charles McClendon's seven wins in 13
bowls from 1962-79.

Alleman
is the only LSU player who has been a captain in every game this season.